Stepping Out of My Twin’s Shadow

All my life, people have treated my twin sister and I as two halves of a whole. And as I get ready for college, I’m worried that I’ll never be seen as an individual.

Ever since we were kids, my twin Hallie and I have done everything together. We play the same sports, have the same friends, and take similar classes.

People treat us like a package deal. Like the time I was walking down the school hallway and my best friend asked, “Where’s your better half?” It was a double-whammy–calling me incomplete and the worse twin.

And the hardest part is, sometimes I feel like I am only half of a whole.

I’m scared to do things by myself –I don’t even know if I can make new friends without Hallie.

But in a year I’ll leave for college. I’ve never gone more than two days without Hallie. Yet we probably won’t even live in the same state.

I hope to prove to people that I’m a whole human, not half of one. I love being a twin, but Hallie won’t always be with me. And I must learn how to stand alone.